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Motorists applaud High Court ruling on left-hand vehicle ban
Community Radio Harare (CORAH)
November 16, 2012

Motorists have welcomed the High Court ruling Wednesday lifting the ban on the importation of left hand vehicles and scrapping of the requirement to carry fire extinguishers and triangle reflectors.

The High Court yesterday set aside a decision by the government to ban left hand vehicles and force motorists to carry reflective triangles and fire extinguishers after the Transporters Association of Zimbabwe had appealed against the statutory instrument.

'I think public transporters should always carry fire extinguishers and triangles for the sake of the passengers' safety. Even private motorists need these things for their own safety,' Jeff Mapheka, a taxi driver in the Central Business District told Talking Harare Thursday.

Mapheka says while left handed trucks pose a danger on the country's roads; it would be unfair to ban them as they are affordable.

'Many transporters in the country have fleets of left hand drive vehicles and it would be unfair to ban them. The left hand vehicles are also more affordable and banning them would destroy a whole sector, where most indigenous players have invested,' he said.

Panganayi Makombo, of Highfield welcomes the move, saying the police had become a nuisance on the country's roads.

'The police have been taking advantage of these requirements. They were harassing motorists and robbing them of their hard earned cash. Instead of issuing out tickets they were soliciting for bribes from innocent citizens who would have simply forgotten to carry fire extinguisher and the triangle,' he said.

Another motorist, who identified himself as Mawarire, says his driving experience before independence never encountered such stringent road requirements.

'It would have been better if it was compulsory to carry a wheel spanner and a jack as these help the motorist if he has a break down, not a fire extinguisher,' he said.

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